1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interface card fastener, which set in computer chassis or any other electronic devices comprising expansion interface card slots, especially to a device that can be easily pushed to fasten and pulled to release a single card with no further need of tools or hardware. The fastener in this present invention can be easily handled to fasten interface cards stably.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronics industries develop and upgrade soon. In a computer system, many different devices and peripherals are collocated to work. Nowadays most devices and peripherals are designed to “Plug-n-Play” compliant for more convenient use. Various kinds of interface cards are common used to upgrade a computer system to enhance efficacy. For example, interface cards, like sound cards, graphic cards, network cards, or many other multimedia interface cards, are used as a bridge to connect host and other hardware, thus interface cards are changed or swapped due to installation, replacement, or upgrade of computer systems from time to time. To make sure the interface cards are installed stably and fixed in card slots, there are several prior arts in this skill to fasten interface cards.
The most common traditional method utilizes a screw to fasten interface card into the slot. To screw interface card, user needs extra a screwdriver to work. Screwing is the most inconvenient work to swap interface card. Screw is small and cause risk to damage other electronic device like mainboard when falling. Magnetic screwdriver that common used in screwing also does not suit to screw in electronic device.
Most common prior arts in this skill attempted to fasten interface card without screw. In a prior art, as shown in FIG. 1, an interface card retainer 7 is set in a computer host, which comprises a chassis 10, a mainboard 11 set in the chassis 10, and a plurality of expansion slot 12, wherein a interface card 13 is installed in the expansion slot 12 to connect and communicate with the mainboard 11. Inside the chassis 10 corresponding to the expansion slot 12 and the interface card 13, an oblong frame 14 is set to fit a bulkhead 131 of the interface card 13 installing. A long batten 71 of the retainer 7 presses a bulkhead top 132 of the bulkhead 131, wherein two ends 72, 73 of the retainer 7 are conjugated with corresponding devices (not shown in FIG. 1) inside the chassis 10, and a ear 133 of the bulkhead 131 is screwed with the interface card 13 to fix the card 13 in the slot 12.
In the foregoing design of retainer 7, a purpose of screw free to fix the bulkhead 131 with the frame 14 is achieved, and interface cards swapping can be easily operated with no extra tool needed. However, the only single batten 71 presses all bulkheads 131 of interface cards 13 to fix. Once swapping single one of the interface cards 13, the batten 71 of the retainer 7 should be opened and all other cards are released. This will be a serious defect when utilizing this design in an interfaced card hot-swappable computer system, which most is server.
Another prior art is an interface card fixing device 8, as shown in FIG. 2, which comprises a bracket 81 and a plurality of U-shape glands 82 which can slide along the bracket 81. On both sides of each the gland 82 and corresponding inner of the bracket 81 comprise a set of racks 83 and 84 respectively. With the racks 83 and 84 gearing, the gland 82 and press the bulkhead 131 in a specific and stable position.
Compare with the retainer 7, the fixing device 8 can press and release each the bulkhead 131 independently with the gland 82, but the teeth of the rack will be abraded after repeat operations and the abrasion affects the fixing.
FIG. 3 illustrates an interface card latch 9, which comprises a bracket 91, a plurality of pivot devices 92, a buckle 93 and a spring 94 to press or release the bulkhead 131 without screw. The buckle 93 comprises a button 931, a handle 932, and two bars 933 on both sides of the handle 932. The bar 933 is set to fix the pivot device 92. The structures of the pivot device 92 and the buckle 93 are complicated and hard to manufacture. Besides, the buckle 93 utilizes the spring 94 to control and fix the pivot 92, but the spring 94 has risk of elastic deformation.
Therefore, a need exists for a fastener, which has simple structure and is easy to use, to secure the interface card in place.